Hot Board v1.0: Who will be Mizzou's next basketball coach?

Cuonzo Martin is out and now Missouri has to figure out who will come in. Over the next few days and weeks, the Tigers will search for Martin's replacement. PowerMizzou.com will be your source for news all along the way.

We start with our initial list of potential candidates. This is a very preliminary list made up mostly of names we believe would make sense for Mizzou. It will change and be updated as we gather information during the coaching search. This is simply our first shot at a potential candidate list. We'll separate the list into different categories, at least to start.

We've got some further explanation of our candidate list and some other names that are being mentioned right here.

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In this section, we look at the coaches we believe Missouri should have at the top of its list. Again, this is not based at this point on anything we've been told, but it's more of a wish list if we were making the hire.

Resume: 422-156 in 17 seasons

120-47 in five seasons at Xavier

302-109 in 12 seasons at Arizona

Eight regular season conference championships

Nine NCAA Tournament bids

Six Sweet 16s

Four Elite Eights

Why it makes sense: Miller wins. Big. He currently doesn't have a job. Missouri doesn't have to bid against anyone. Many places will be hesitant to hire him. If he is clear to be hired by the NCAA, it should be a one-person search.

Why it doesn't make sense: He may not be clear to be hired by the NCAA. Miller was fired at Arizona in relation to the FBI investigation into college basketball. An extension wasn't going to be approved by the school's administration and the final ruling hasn't yet come down. If there's a show cause, it could be a major problem. In addition, this would be the reverse of virtually everything Missouri has tried to do with its basketball program in the last 20 years...which might also be why it should be listed under the reasons it makes season. A risk? Yes. Bad PR? Almost certainly. Worth it? We'll see.

Resume: 278-133 in 14 seasons

215-97 in ten seasons at Xavier

63-36 in three-plus seasons at Louisville

Three regular season conference championships

Nine NCAA Tournament bids

Three Sweet 16s

One Elite Eight

Why it makes sense: Mack took over for Miller and kept things rolling at Xavier. The Musketeers had one of the top programs in the country regardless of conference affiliation. He's a Midwest guy and sources have told us in prior Mizzou coaching searches he had expressed interest in the job. He brings name recognition and proven success.

Why it doesn't make sense: Things were ugly off the court at Louisville and getting worse by the year on it. After going 44-21 in his first two seasons, Mack was just 19-15 in a year-and-a-half since before being relieved of his duties midseason this year. Plus Mack is involved with an ugly dispute with former assistant Dino Gaudio. There is baggage here. Mizzou--and any other school--will have to assess if that outweighs a career .689 winning percentage.

Here we'll look at coaches who have been in at high-major schools before or, in some cases, still are. They're coaches who may be looking for a fresh start or a second chance.

Resume: 293-160 in 14 seasons

76-25 in three seasons at VCU

117-85 in six seasons at Alabama

100-50 in five seasons at Dayton

Five regular season conference championships

Three NCAA Tournament bids

Why it makes sense: Grant has roots in the SEC. He was an assistant at Florida and the head coach at Alabama, where he won an SEC title, but was let go after six seasons. He's been very good at Dayton and had the Flyers at 29-2 and ranked third in the country when the season was ended by COVID in March of 2019. He's earned another shot at high major program.

Why it doesn't make sense: The detractors will say Grant had his chance in the SEC and was okay but not more than that. Some will want to take a chance on a younger coach who may be unproven but may have a higher ceiling. He only makes $1.83 million right now, but Dayton could go higher to keep him and he's a Dayton alum.

Resume: 159-68 in 7 seasons

130-43 in five seasons at East Tennessee St.

29-25 in two seasons at Wake Forest

Two regular season conference championships

One NCAA Tournament bid

Why it makes sense: Forbes built ETSU into one of the better programs in the Southern Conference before getting his shot in the ACC. After taking over for Danny Manning, the Demon Deacons were just 6-16 in his first season but are now 21-7 and probably headed to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time since 2010. He's spent time as an assistant at Texas A&M and Tennessee and has ties legitimately all over the country.

Why it doesn't make sense: Forbes just signed a contract extension with Wake Forest. That doesn't necessarily make it impossible for him to leave, but it probably makes it significantly more expensive. Would he take the job? Does he view Wake Forest as a better situation? He's also likely to be a candidate for quite a few other openings if there's a chance he leaves Wake. But if Forbes will listen, there aren't a whole lot of reasons not to like the idea.

Resume: 297-190 in 16 seasons

14-17 in one season at New Orleans

139-69 in six seasons at Marquette

100-69 in five seasons at Virginia Tech

44-35 in four seasons at Texas A&M

One regular season conference championship

Eight NCAA Tournament bids

Four Sweet 16s

One Elite Eight

Why it makes sense: Williams wins and he has done so mostly at programs without the history Missouri has. He took Marquette to five NCAA Tournaments and then took Virginia Tech to three. He has Texas A&M in the conversation this year. He's an established, proven coach that would come with some name recognition and immediate past history in the SEC. Oh, by the way, he was at Virginia Tech at the same time as Desiree Reed-Francois.

Why it doesn't make sense: Williams took over a tough situation at Texas A&M but hasn't exactly lit the world on fire. Is his ceiling high enough during a time in which Missouri needs a hire that, no pun intended, creates some buzz? Also, he might not want the job. He makes about $4 million a year.

Resume: 119-74 in six seasons

70-33 in three seasons at South Dakota State

29-30 in two seasons at UNLV

20-11 in one season at Iowa State

Two regular season conference championships

Two NCAA Tournament bids

Why it makes sense: Otzelberger did one of the country's biggest turnaround jobs in Ames this year, taking over after a 2-22 season. He's won two thirds of his games at two of his three stops. He was also hired at UNLV by Mizzou athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois. Maybe you could sell him on the fact that Big 12 will be taking a step down when Oklahoma and Texas leave.

Why it doesn't make sense: Would Otzelberger want to take on a fourth rebuilding job in seven years? And would he view rebuilding at Mizzou as a step up over an Iowa State program that's currently in better shape? While it's not a cross-country move, Otzelberger's wife is an Iowa State alum and the family roots would at least be a question. Finally, does one year in which the Cyclones faded in the second half prove that he can win at the high major level? He's on this list almost solely because Reed-Francois hired him before.

Resume: 312-183 in 15 seasons

21-13 in one season at Cincinnati

245-156 in 12 seasons at Ole Miss

46-14 in two seasons at UAB

Two NCAA Tournament bids

Why it makes sense: Kennedy is very familiar in the SEC. He has won at a place in the SEC that, theoretically, is tougher to win at than Missouri. He has had only one losing season in 15 years and won 20 games 12 times. He will pretty much always have you relevant.

Why it doesn't make sense: He made two NCAA Tournaments in 12 years in the SEC. The floor is high, but the ceiling might be low. You know what he is and it's good but not great. It's not hard to make the argument that you'd be replacing Martin with a different version of Martin.

Resume: 202-149 in 11 seasons

185-135 in ten seasons at UNC-Greensboro

17-14 in one season at Cincinnati

Four regular season conference championships

Two NCAA Tournament bids

Why it makes sense: Miller built a low-major powerhouse at UNC-Greensboro and put together a solid first year at Cincinnati, although the Bearcats really faded down the stretch. He hasn't been in a high-major conference quite yet, but will be soon, which is why he's listed here, along with the fact that Cincinnati has been a major basketball program for a long, long time. He's a program builder who was judicious about making the jump up from UNCG.

Why it doesn't make sense: Is he ready to jump from Cincinnati after just one season? And is it a better job, especially considering the Bearcats will be in the Big 12 soon, which will still be a very strong basketball league despite the Longhorns and Sooners taking off?

This section is the up-and-comers. Here are coaches who are at programs a little more out of the spotlight but who could be ready to make the move to college basketball's biggest stage.

Resume: 153-66 in seven seasons at Murray State

Four regular season conference championships

Three NCAA Tournament appearances

Why it makes sense: McMahon has been excellent at Murray State. He's won well over two-thirds of his games and has the Racers 28-2 so far this season. He had MSU in the national spotlight with Ja Morant and he's kept the program at the top of the list of mid-majors since Morant left.

Why it doesn't make sense: Yes, he's been really good at Murray State...but pretty much everyone has been pretty good at Murray State. He took over a program that had won 20 games six years in a row and was 29-6 the year before he became the head coach. Every Murray State coach since 1985 has made at least one NCAA Tournament and all but two of them have made at least two. Those coaches have had very mixed results when they've moved on to bigger jobs. Is it McMahon or is it the program?

Resume: 14-16 in one season at George Mason

Why it makes sense: Missouri fans know him. Most would love to see him back. He's been talked about as a future Mizzou head coach since he played here. He's proven he can recruit at Tulsa, Colorado and Tennessee and if you're trying to maximize NIL opportunities at Mizzou with a young coach who understands the current landscape of recruiting and has connections to big-time donors, English might be worth taking the big risk.

Why it doesn't make sense: Is he on the list if he didn't go to Mizzou? Would the fanbase give him enough leash while he learned on the job? Ultimately, this seems like a better match after English has proven himself for two or three years.

Resume: 143-81 in six seasons

77-56 in three seasons at Utah Valley

66-25 in three seasons at BYU

One NCAA Tournament bid

Why it makes sense: He's won both places he's been. He's proven enough he'll probably get a high-major job very soon. He's got roots in the SEC as a player at Kentucky and an assistant at Georgia.

Why it doesn't make sense: Does he excite Missouri fans out of the gate? Debatable at best. While he's won a lot of games, he's not done so against big-time competition or in the postseason.

Resume: 50-39 in three seasons at Cleveland State

Two regular season conference championships

One NCAA Tournament bid

Why it makes sense: Gates is relatively young and worked his way up. He spent eight seasons as an assistant for Leonard Hamilton and Florida State and has been around winning programs. He will be on the radar for big jobs in the next couple of years if he continues to win at Cleveland State and may be on the list for some now.

Why it doesn't make sense: He hasn't proven a ton. He got to an NCAA Tournament in year two, but there's not a long track record there. Most Missouri fans probably don't know who he is.

Resume: 155-132 in nine seasons

62-71 in four seasons at Furman

17-17 in one season at Drake

76-44 in four seasons at Colorado State

One regular season conference championship

Why it makes sense: Medved is still relatively young and has CSU on the way up. The Rams have improved in each of his four seasons. He could be on the doorstep of a high major job.

Why it doesn't make sense: He was a .500 coach until this season and a sub-.500 coach over his first seven seasons. He hasn't been at basketball powerhouses or anything, but his career record isn't dazzling either. This is more of a program building long play than anything that will get people excited out of the gate. Even as an assistant, he has just one year at a high major program (2006-07 at Minnesota).

Resume: 118-68 in six seasons

80-50 in four seasons at Northern Colorado

38-18 in two seasons at Wyoming

Why it makes sense: Linder has won 20 games in four of his six seasons at places that historically haven't won much. He built a solid program at Northern Colorado and looks to quickly be doing the same at Wyoming. The Cowboys were 31 games under .500 in the two years before Linder and went 14-11 in year one. Northern Colorado went from 10-21 the year before Linder to 11-18 in his first season to 26-12 in his second. He's got the look of a guy that can turn you around quickly.

Why it doesn't make sense: Does turning things around at Northern Colorado and Wyoming mean he can do it at Missouri? Can he recruit this area of the country and at this level? He's basically a career West Coaster after getting his start as an assistant at Emporia State.

Resume: 94-39 in four seasons at Drake

One regular season conference championship

One NCAA Tournament bid

Why it makes sense: DeVries took over a program that had six straight seasons of .500 or worse and has won 20 games every year. Two years ago, he had Drake in the top 25 in the country. He's built a good program and could be ready to make the jump.

Why it doesn't make sense: He has never been a coach at a high major program. He's won in the Missouri Valley, but can he do it against better competition? And like most people on this part of the list, do the fans get excited about the hire in a way that will translate to butts in the seats quickly?

Resume: 122-68 in six seasons

20-12 in one season at Arkansas State

102-56 in five seasons at North Texas

Two regular season conference championships

One NCAA Tournament bid

Why it makes sense: McCasland has won at every level. He won big in junior college, then made two DII Elite Eights then took North Texas to the brink of the Sweet 16 last year as a 13 seed. He's got the pedigree of a guy that's about to get his shot at a major program.

Why it doesn't make sense: Of the coaches on the mid-major list, we can poke fewer holes in this one than most. McCasland hasn't won on an SEC type level yet, but he showed last year he had the ability to compete with those teams. His roots are in Texas, so is there a certain job he's waiting on rather than moving to Missouri?

Resume: 57-35 in three at San Francisco

Why it makes sense: Golden has USF headed for a probably at large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They're a top-25 team at KenPom and have some big wins in his third season. He's got SEC experience as an assistant at Auburn in Bruce Pearl's first two seasons. He's young and somewhat unknown but with a solid track record at the start of his career....similar to the football coach Missouri hired three years ago.

Why it doesn't make sense: He's 36. He's done well at San Francisco, but not unbelievably so. The Dons won 63 games under Kyle Smith in the three years before Golden took over.